Fiat and Chrysler in bed together?

[lanciahf]

only it will be rebadged in the US as a Volare

Mark,

Don't ruin the moment! This has been the closest we had to new Fiats in the US since 82. Amid all the doubts I hope it works out for both companies.

PS Chrysler did not ruin Alfa in the US. Alfa/Fiat management was to blame. Alfa fans wanted a sports car and a coupe and they gave us an oversized unreliable overpriced Lancia beta. To top it all off in 1995 when Alfa had a new coupe and spider built to US regs they left the US market.....

But lets not bring that up....

[pope]

So we can just go to a Chrysler Dealership to get parts for our Spiders!!! Cool.

[ga.spyder]

I called my buddythat I help with his dragster,last night.I informed him that the 2500 horsepower motor in the dragster and our dually pull truck...are now Fiats!! He couldnt have been happier
Craig

[Tony]

I knew something had to be up when Chrysler axed the PT Cruiser(wife's/family car) last week and it was the only economical car offered but I would never have expected this! With my youthful naivety I can honestly say I was jumping up and down the other morning when my wife came in and told me about it while she was getting the step-kids ready for school. I think it will back up Fiat's claim to hit the US by 2010. We're both more than ready to take test-drive's in the new 500 and if the Alfas in Europe are any indication, they'll be a flurry of used duds for me to look at on the cheap.

Long story short, Chrysler just kept plugging the bigger is better solution at the wrong problem for well over a decade of decline.

[mdrburchette]

This "merger" shouldn't be such a surprise since Chrylser and Fiat have been talking for several months. Marchionne had been eluding to the fact that in the future so many independent car manufacturers wouldn't be able to stand alone and survive. I wish the best for both.

[adrians]

Article as reported here !

January 20th, 2009. According to an article in Forbes.com, the Fiat Group will acquire a 35 percent stake in ailing Chrysler from Cerberus Capital Management, but will not pay anything for it and will not commit to funding Chrysler in the future.

The International Herald Tribune (New Yoirk) reported that “Under the deal, announced by Fiat at its headquarters in Turin and by Chrysler in Auburn Hills, Michigan, Fiat would provide Chrysler with technology and vehicle platforms to build more fuel-efficient, small and midsize cars at its factories and sell them in North America. Fiat would also give Chrysler access to distribution networks in other parts of the world, particularly Europe.
“In exchange, Fiat would obtain access to Chrysler’s U.S. sales and distribution network, returning to the only global market where it does not compete. The Italian company is hoping that its Fiat 500, a hit in Europe, will prove successful in the United States, and it wants to introduce American drivers to its other main mass-market offerings, the Punto, Bravo and Panda, and its high-end brand Alfa Romeo.”

Lorenzo Marchesini, our Italian Editor-at-Large, sees this as a positive development:
“Both Fiat and Chrylser would enormously benefit from the “small” car line up of Fiat (500 and Grande Punto, as well as the Multipla) not to mention the fact that Fiat has a line-up of bi-fuel vehicles that run on both natural gas and conventional fuel by the toss of a switch.
“Fiat cars have incredible (and I mean this positively ! ) reliability comparable to Honda; I own both a Honda Civic and a Punto each with well over 200,000 miles on the clock — the Honda with only very, very few problems, the Fiat Punto got there — 250 thousand miles — with no problems at all ! Moreover, FIATs are real fuel sippers.

“I look forward to the day when I can buy a 500 Fiat at a Chrysler dealership in the U.S.A. to supplement my 38 year old FIAT 500 Lusso (running strong and averaging 57 miles to the gallon) and several other Italian cars.”

Forbes.com also reports that “The Italian firm could also increase its production capacity in the United States by piggybacking onto Chrysler’s plants and would obtain access to Chrysler’s dealership networks in a similar fashion, allowing it to sell its Alfa Romeo brands next to Dodge and Jeep models.”
While Marchesini cannot but agree with the Fiat distribution philosophy by using the existing network of Chrysler dealerships, he does not think the approach followed for Alfa Romeo is advisable. “Let’s hope that both Fiat and Chrysler management will understand that selling Alfa Romeos through Dodge and Jeep dealerships may not be compatible, as the current Dodge and Jeep line up has little to nothing in comon with the sportiness, sophisticated design and class usually associated with the grand touring Alfa Romeos.”

[So Cal Mark]

that's exactly what happened the last time that Chrysler took on Alfa. The dealership staff didn't like them "furrin" cars, so the parts and service depts did a lousy job maintaining them, and the sales staff just let them sit in the corner. They ruined Alfa in the US.
This is really the only way Fiat can return; no other car mfg needs them since their small cars would compete with Fiats' offerings. Chryslers small cars are crap, and that's what I fear if they use Fiat platforms and build their own American version. I expect a couple of "re-engineered" cars from Fiat sold as Chryslers. I'm having nightmares expecting the return of Omni, Aspen and Volare and God forbid, the Cricket

[adrians]

Mark - What the Cricket ?

Adrian

[So Cal Mark]

in the early 70s, Chrysler started using import platforms to build small, fuel saving cars. The Cricket was one of them that didn't last too long

[baltobernie]

I'll admit that MoPar has spawned some dogs during the last 30 years, but no more than Ford and GM. My first company car was an Aspen, and I (as well as the fleet manager) thought it was superior in all respects to the dozens of Novas and Fairmonts we had. (Of course, prior to joining Motorola, my car was a 131 Mirifiori ... no contest!)

The Neon was well-received, too. I remember one reviewer saying that it was a shame that the industry couldn't have the Neon car sold by the Saturn dealer.

My last "salesman's car", still in use with over 200k, is an Intrepid. One set of brakes, one A/C; that's it. 24 mpg over its lifetime. Let go of the steering wheel, and it will find the nearest Interstate.

I just don't see the Chrysler image compatible with Fiat. The macho Ram, that goofy station wagon, the "Hemi" that really doesn't have a hemispherical combustion chamber, and more. I'm not saying that Chrysler doesn't need Fiat; they do. But I see our beloved marque suffering in this situation, just like it did in the '70s when I bought my first ... at an Oldsmobile dealership.

It'd also be a good idea for all of you to implement a BaltoBernie BailOut Bond fund, for the first time I see a 500 on a showroom floor decked out with $900 worth of "dealer options".

[Tony]

in the early 70s, Chrysler started using import platforms to build small, fuel saving cars. The Cricket was one of them that didn't last too long

I'll see your captive imports and raise you DSM

[spidernut]

Am I the only one who got the Volare joke? The Cricket...eeek! I forgot about that thing. That was the era of the Datsun Honeybee...another rolling oddity.

A thread at Fiatcenter.com listed which vehicles Fiat is thinking about bringing to the market - the Grande Punto, C-Evo and Panda. The Punto makes sense. The Alfa Evo is nice looking too. However, the Panda might as well be the Cricket. See: http://www.autonews.com/article/20090126/COPY/301269965 Check out the new cars at Fiat.com. The Qubo, Palio, Multipla, Doblo, Albia, 600, Panda and Siena wouldn't sell at all in my opinion. The other cars look quite nice!

Fiat marketing needs to get out and pound the US pavement to determine ahead of time which cars will generate the most interest among potential buyers. How does one contact Sergio Marchionne, Chief Executive Officer of Fiat? I understand pulling from their top selling Brazillian and European models, but the US market doesn't follow the same trends. Fiat's mistake in their last attempt to survive in the US was a mis-placed understanding of the American market and marketing strategies. I spent 20 years in Marketing and I'm retiring in a few years. Maybe Fiat will hire me!

I sincerely pray that they don't plaster a Dodge grille on the Fiat and Alfa and say "there you go!" I've owned several Mopars and really liked them. Unfortunately, their desire to create a recognizable brand has resulted in a bunch of vehicles with a grille I never liked. That's why I bought the Plymouth...I hated the Dodge grille.

[baltobernie]

[
Doesn't HEMI just designate an engine with a hemisperical shape to the head portion of the combustion chamber?

How exact does that "sphere" need to be to qualify?

-Ryan

I'm pretty sure that the spark plug needs to be in the center of the hemisphere to qualify as a "hemi", something the Fiat TC does not have. But literally, virtually all modern twin overhead cam engines have the intake and exhaust valve(s) canted in a hemispherical combustion chamber. I think Chrysler was the first to employ this combustion shape to pushrod engines, a trickier job.